Every US state EPR programme asks for the weight, in grams, of each packaging component you place on its market. Almost nobody has those numbers. This is a free starting point: typical weights for 35 common formats, the material each falls into, and what that material costs per pound under Oregon’s published rates.
Last updated 27 July 2026. Use it to build a first-pass estimate and to sanity-check numbers your suppliers send back. Do not file it as fact — see the method note below.
| Format | Material category | Typical weight | Fee rate | Fee per 1,000 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beverage | ||||
| Aluminum beverage can, 12 oz | Aluminium containers and cans | 14 g ±10% (0.49 oz) | $0.06/lb | $1.85 |
| Aluminum beverage can, 16 oz | Aluminium containers and cans | 18 g ±12% (0.63 oz) | $0.06/lb | $2.38 |
| PET water/beverage bottle, 500 ml | PET #1 bottles, jugs, jars — clear or natural | 11 g ±25% (0.39 oz) | $0.25/lb | $6.06 |
| PET CSD bottle, 20 oz | PET #1 bottles, jugs, jars — clear or natural | 24 g ±20% (0.85 oz) | $0.25/lb | $13.23 |
| Glass beer bottle, 12 oz | Glass containers | 180 g ±15% (6.35 oz) | $0.10/lb | $39.68 |
| Glass wine/spirits bottle, 750 ml | Glass containers | 450 g ±25% (15.87 oz) | $0.10/lb | $99.21 |
| Gable-top carton, 64 oz | Aseptic / gable-top beverage cartons | 38 g ±20% (1.34 oz) | $0.17/lb | $14.24 |
| Food | ||||
| Steel food can, 15 oz | Steel / tinplate containers | 60 g ±15% (2.12 oz) | $0.10/lb | $13.23 |
| Glass jar, 16 oz | Glass containers | 250 g ±20% (8.82 oz) | $0.10/lb | $55.12 |
| PP tub, 16 oz | PP #5 tubs, pails, buckets | 25 g ±25% (0.88 oz) | $0.19/lb | $10.47 |
| Stand-up laminate pouch, 8 oz | Plastic laminates and other flexible packaging | 9 g ±30% (0.32 oz) | $1.02/lb | $20.24 |
| Stand-up laminate pouch, 1 lb | Plastic laminates and other flexible packaging | 14 g ±30% (0.49 oz) | $1.02/lb | $31.48 |
| Folding carton, cereal-box size | Paperboard / folding carton | 55 g ±25% (1.94 oz) | $0.08/lb | $9.70 |
| Folding carton, small (unit box) | Paperboard / folding carton | 18 g ±30% (0.63 oz) | $0.08/lb | $3.17 |
| Flow-wrap / shrink film per unit | HDPE/LDPE film, poly mailers, bags | 3 g ±35% (0.11 oz) | $0.43/lb | $2.84 |
| Personal care and household | ||||
| HDPE bottle, 32 oz | HDPE #2 bottles, jugs, jars — clear or natural | 45 g ±20% (1.59 oz) | $0.09/lb | $8.93 |
| HDPE bottle, 8 oz | HDPE #2 bottles, jugs, jars — clear or natural | 16 g ±25% (0.56 oz) | $0.09/lb | $3.17 |
| Laminate tube, 5 oz | Plastic laminates and other flexible packaging | 18 g ±25% (0.63 oz) | $1.02/lb | $40.48 |
| Pump dispenser (PP + spring) | PP #5 other rigid containers, cups, trays | 9 g ±25% (0.32 oz) | $0.62/lb | $12.30 |
| PP closure, 38 mm | Lids and closures (PP, HDPE, LDPE) | 3 g ±20% (0.11 oz) | $0.29/lb | $1.92 |
| PP/HDPE closure, 28 mm | Lids and closures (PP, HDPE, LDPE) | 2.2 g ±20% (0.08 oz) | $0.29/lb | $1.41 |
| Paper pressure-sensitive label | Kraft paper, paper bags, paper mailers | 1.2 g ±35% (0.04 oz) | $0.08/lb | $0.21 |
| BOPP / film label | HDPE/LDPE film, poly mailers, bags | 0.9 g ±35% (0.03 oz) | $0.43/lb | $0.85 |
| Full-body shrink sleeve | PVC #3 rigid items | 3 g ±30% (0.11 oz) | $0.97/lb | $6.42 |
| Ecommerce and transport | ||||
| Corrugated shipper, small (approx. 9x6x4") | Corrugated cardboard and kraft paper | 120 g ±25% (4.23 oz) | $0.08/lb | $21.16 |
| Corrugated shipper, medium (approx. 12x9x6") | Corrugated cardboard and kraft paper | 230 g ±25% (8.11 oz) | $0.08/lb | $40.57 |
| Corrugated shipper, large (approx. 16x12x10") | Corrugated cardboard and kraft paper | 480 g ±25% (16.93 oz) | $0.08/lb | $84.66 |
| Poly mailer, 10x13" | HDPE/LDPE film, poly mailers, bags | 12 g ±25% (0.42 oz) | $0.43/lb | $11.38 |
| Bubble mailer, 8.5x12" | HDPE/LDPE film, poly mailers, bags | 20 g ±30% (0.71 oz) | $0.43/lb | $18.96 |
| Padded paper mailer, 10x13" | Kraft paper, paper bags, paper mailers | 32 g ±25% (1.13 oz) | $0.08/lb | $5.64 |
| Kraft void fill, per parcel | Kraft paper, paper bags, paper mailers | 45 g ±40% (1.59 oz) | $0.08/lb | $7.94 |
| Air pillow void fill, per parcel | HDPE/LDPE film, poly mailers, bags | 8 g ±40% (0.28 oz) | $0.43/lb | $7.58 |
| EPS foam insert / cooler liner | EPS #6 white expanded cushioning and void fill | 30 g ±35% (1.06 oz) | $0.72/lb | $47.62 |
| Molded pulp tray/insert | Molded fiber / pulp trays | 25 g ±30% (0.88 oz) | $0.08/lb | $4.41 |
| Packing tape, per parcel | HDPE/LDPE film, poly mailers, bags | 4 g ±40% (0.14 oz) | $0.43/lb | $3.79 |
Fees are charged by weight and by material, and the range between cheapest and most expensive is more than twenty to one. A gram of EPS foam costs roughly twenty-three times what a gram of aluminium costs. That means a packaging decision made this quarter sets a bill you pay every year, in every state, for as long as the SKU exists.
| Material category | Family | Rate | Basis | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPS #6 expanded foam containers, cups, trays | Rigid plastic | $1.38/lb | published | The most expensive material on the schedule — 23x aluminium. |
| Plastic laminates and other flexible packaging | Flexible plastic | $1.02/lb | published | Not accepted on any Oregon recycling list. 2.4x the rate of mono-material PE film. |
| PP #5 flexible and film items | Flexible plastic | $1.02/lb | published | |
| PS #6 rigid, non-expanded | Rigid plastic | $0.97/lb | published | |
| PVC #3 rigid items | Rigid plastic | $0.97/lb | published | |
| PLA / PHA / PHB rigid items | Rigid plastic | $0.97/lb | published | Certified compostable plastic is charged at the same rate as mixed plastic. |
| Other / mixed rigid plastic | Other | $0.97/lb | published | Unclassified material is charged at the top plastic rate. Resolving one ambiguous component to its actual resin is usually the cheapest saving available. |
| EPS #6 white expanded cushioning and void fill | Rigid plastic | $0.72/lb | published | White cushioning is charged at half the rate of coloured; colour costs 0.66 $/lb. |
| PET #1 bottles, jugs, jars — pigmented | Rigid plastic | $0.67/lb | published | |
| PP #5 other rigid containers, cups, trays | Rigid plastic | $0.62/lb | published | |
| PET #1 thermoformed containers, cups, trays | Rigid plastic | $0.57/lb | published | Thermoformed PET costs 2.3x the same resin in bottle form. |
| Small-format paper and fibre | Paper and fibre | $0.44/lb | published | Small format is sorted out at the MRF; 5.5x the rate of ordinary paperboard. |
| HDPE/LDPE film, poly mailers, bags | Flexible plastic | $0.43/lb | published | Store drop-off only. |
| PP #5 bottles, jugs, jars | Rigid plastic | $0.38/lb | published | |
| HDPE #2 tubs, nursery pots and trays | Rigid plastic | $0.35/lb | published | |
| Pallet wrap, non-consumer | Flexible plastic | $0.34/lb | published | |
| HDPE #2 bottles, jugs, jars — pigmented | Rigid plastic | $0.32/lb | published | Pigmenting an HDPE bottle multiplies its fee by 3.6. |
| Lids and closures (PP, HDPE, LDPE) | Rigid plastic | $0.29/lb | published | |
| Small-format metal (caps, closures, tins) | Metal | $0.26/lb | published | |
| PET #1 bottles, jugs, jars — clear or natural | Rigid plastic | $0.25/lb | published | |
| Aluminium foil and foil trays | Metal | $0.24/lb | published | |
| PP #5 tubs, pails, buckets | Rigid plastic | $0.19/lb | published | |
| Aseptic / gable-top beverage cartons | Paper and fibre | $0.17/lb | published | |
| Steel / tinplate containers | Metal | $0.10/lb | published | |
| Glass containers | Glass | $0.10/lb | published | |
| HDPE #2 bottles, jugs, jars — clear or natural | Rigid plastic | $0.09/lb | published | |
| Corrugated cardboard and kraft paper | Paper and fibre | $0.08/lb | published | |
| Paperboard / folding carton | Paper and fibre | $0.08/lb | published | |
| Kraft paper, paper bags, paper mailers | Paper and fibre | $0.08/lb | published | |
| Molded fiber / pulp trays | Paper and fibre | $0.08/lb | published | |
| Aluminium containers and cans | Metal | $0.06/lb | published | |
| Printing and writing paper, inserts, catalogues | Paper and fibre | $0.05/lb | published |
Rates marked published come from Oregon’s 2026 per-material schedule as summarised publicly. Rates marked modelled are our estimates, placed within the published $0.076–$0.77/lb range and its extensions, because no per-material schedule has been published for those categories. No state other than Oregon has published per-material rates at all.
This is the whole method. It is not complicated, it is just tedious, and doing it in the wrong order is what turns a two-week job into a four-month one.